The present invention relates generally to semiconductor packaging and, more particularly, to improvements in dissipation of heat from semiconductor devices in such packages.
During operation of an integrated circuit (IC), an IC chip generates heat, thus heating the entire electronics package that contains the chip. Because the performance of the IC chip degrades as its temperature increases, and because high thermal stresses degrade the structural integrity of the electronics package, this heat must be dissipated.
Typically, electronic packages use a metal lid to dissipate heat. The heat from the chip is transferred to the metal lid via a thermally conductive chip/lid interface. The heat is then transferred from the lid to the ambient atmosphere via convection or to a heat sink mounted on the lid.
Heat removal becomes a challenge as the die power consumption, die size and heat density increases with every new generation of microprocessors.